"Hah," Thorn replied, with a short chuckle, before composing himself and adding a defiant, "Uh, no."

As anyone can discern, this pattern of managerial machination -- also known as GM blather -- is based on the fact that the Nets are a wounded team right now, and everyone in the league knows it.

You can't blame Thorn's competitors for trying. Some may think they're doing him a favor, because he has a point guard who will make $21 million when he turns 36, and who needs that when his team is obviously going nowhere?

So the phone rings and rings and rings.

"Jersey's in a tough spot," said one Eastern Conference GM, who requested anonymity so as not to meddle in Thorn's affairs. "It's not so different from last year, but you wonder what's really in the marketplace for a guy like Kidd."

Actually, the market is easy to determine: The only landing place would be a good team that believes Kidd can put it over the top. But they have to be prepared to give up a good young player and some expiring contracts.

The first snag: You'd have to have ownership sign off on it. This is the only NBA team that serves two masters -- North Jersey and Brooklyn -- and the Nets don't want to be in the midst of a demolition job two years hence.

The second snag: Getting a young star for Kidd is increasingly challenging. The Nets couldn't get Andrew Bynum last season, and they're not going to get him this season. If the Lakers have called, it was likely to offer some package including free-agent-to-be Kwame Brown and Vlade Radmanovic. To which Thorn probably said: Click.

"I don't think anyone is going to give up a young star for Jason, just like the Lakers wouldn't do it," the Eastern GM said. "It may have reached a point where you settle for a piece and expiring contracts and start over. You hear 'Dallas,' but I sincerely doubt Dallas would give you both Devin Harris and Jason Terry -- and I don't know if the Nets even like them."

It's even hard to know Thorn's priorities. Asked whether a major move is practical, he replied, "Not at this time -- I don't see it right now. But again, you never know."

Remarkably, he spent much of yesterday's interview thinking about his frontcourt scoring -- the kind you can acquire at minimal cost. He has two roster spots in which to fit some, as the team waived Eddie Gill yesterday.

"Last year we had Nenad (Krstic) still playing and Mikki (Moore) was on the horizon," Thorn recalled. "So we had two guys -- one at 16 points per game, the other at 12 or 13 -- who played. Where are we going to get that scoring from within this group?

"That's the difference between this year and last year -- those two guys. Obviously Mikki's not going to be here, and who knows when Nenad is going to come back. We need to get our ship righted before that. We're challenged in the frontcourt to score."

Which means that's the first priority for this 9-13 team?

"I'd have to say yes," he said. "I'm trying to figure out what's available, what we might be able to get that can help us along those lines."